Vaikan technology
Vaikan technology has its foundations in electricity, something that the Vaikan discovered fairly early in development due to their natural ability to use it. Most of their technology tends to be adapted from the ruins of previous civilizations, including their own Vaikan ancestors. This results in an uneven, artificial development cycle for their technological development. Architecture Vaikan architecture primarily focuses on functionality rather than aesthetics. This stems off of their pre-space flight era where poorly designed houses and other structures would get destroyed by Ucharpli's regular wind storm cycles that appear wherever the sun sets. Buildings are either carved out from the sides of cliffs or are entirely underground. If built directly on a flat surface, they are designed to be short, yet spread out. For example, a typical facility will appear only three storeys high, yet have a radius of one kilometer. During the space era, technological advancements allowed for skyscraper like structures to serve as docks for ships. This was necessary because few areas to land on the ground were available within the vicinity of a space port. Because of this, space ports within Vaikan cities easily stand out as a series of tall spires towering over the rest of the city. The oldest architecture can be seen in the city of Yallvus - sandstone and adobe bricks reinforced with steel 28. Modern architecture, visible on most Vaikan colonies, is reminiscent of steampunk and cyberpunk design. Building colors vary between bronze, chrome and dark grey with visible machinery in some areas. Most structures are above ground, but some cities are built into either the sides of mountains or underground. Vehicles such as starships follow a similar design, but are colored a deep blue to signify its status as an official Karalian Empire ship. The blue color is a result of lining the hulls with traces of cobalt. Forging techniques The Vaikan have discovered a way to refine steel into an even stronger alloy known as Steel 28. Steel 28 is often used as primary metal in the construction of ships and buildings. Another material that is refined into building structures and ship hulls is Dragonrock, a rare substance only found on super-Earth terrestrial planets. Weapons Melee weapons The Vaikan's main form of attack relies highly on their close combat tactics. For extra effectiveness, some weapons have conduits connected to their hands allowing for not only a blunt or sharp force, but also an additional electric shock. Firearms The earliest firearms that did not make use of physical energy from user input was an electrical cannon. By constructing a complex series of metal wirings built around a cylinder, a Vaikan could sent out electrical shocks to nearby enemies, frying them alive. As technology advanced, these guns became smaller and smaller until they could be carried as handhelds. One of the benefits of this style of firearm is unlimited ammo, although if fired for too long in succession, it overheats. When armored vehicles were invented, plasma blasters and gunpowder weapons saw a significant rise in use. While electric cannons were still around, the two new style guns became more predominant. Maj amplifier A wristworn device that boosts the voltage produced by a Vaikan's electrical abilities. This is the equivalent of brass knuckles. Defenses Forcefields are used to defend against high velocity projectiles. It serves as an effective tool to take cover against enemy fire on the ground. In space, it serves as a protective barrier that is resistant to kinetic weaponry. Though like any forcefield, it can only sustain so much before more energy is required to maintain it. Sonic black holes Derived from the technology behind Jormun's Ring, sonic black hole devices called silencers were created. Silencers produce sonic black holes which absorb all sound, making stealth and infiltration much easier. One of the main weapons from this technology is the Silent Sniper Rifle, used to kill targets at a distance without making a sound. Infantry weapons Melee Weapons Melee weapons are the most common. Every Karalian warrior is expected to be able to know how to use them. They are designed to be deadly, armor-piercing weapons. Because large melee weapons can be clunky to carry around, the blades are retractable, designed to easily be carried at the side and fit inside a backpack or large pocket. *Longsword - A standard weapon *Scimitar - A fast weapon *Broadsword - A large, heavy weapon *Battleaxe - A heavy blunt weapon *Mace - A small blunt weapon *Knife - A close hand-to-hand weapon *Shockknuckles - Knuckles often worn by as an alternative to knives. Vaikan can use them deal not only blunt force, but an electric shock. Ranged Weapons The Karalians have their own varied ranged weapons. Laser-based weapons do not use ammo, but cannot be fired in succession. Kinetic weapons have limited ammo, but can be fired in rapid succession. They tend to be more powerful than their laser counterparts, but have greater recoil. *Laser pistol - A standard off-hand weapon. *Kinetic pistol - A standard off-hand weapon. *Laser rifle - A light weapon stronger than a pistol. *Kinetic rifle - A light weapon stronger than a pistol. *Shock launcher - A weapon that fires bolts of electrical energy. *Bomb launcher - A heavy weapon capable of firing large globs of plasma. *Sniper rifle - A gun designed to kill a target in one shot. It rips apart its target by slamming it with a guided laser. Artillery Artillery is a major part of the battlefield. Throughout star systems especially in orbit of planets, large ship-like structures are stationed whose main function is purely for firepower. The Karalian Empire tends to use automated loading procedures while the Confederacy of Greenwater relies chiefly on manual input due to them relying less on mechanized units. The individuals who operate the targeting systems are known as Data Specialists who are responsible for determining the proper coordinates. Data Specialists must undergo intense training that pushes their analytic and mathematics skills to the limits. Ground based weapons *Portable turret - A small turret carried by engineers. *Fire turret - A turret that shoots out heat waves. *Mortar - A type of artillery that can fire globs of plasma in an arc. These globs will spread upon impact. Space based weapons *Railgun ship - These vessels are essentially a giant gun in space with a railgun extending the entire length of the ship - the exact length varying depending on the model and its intended use and location. The rounds are kinetic in nature, designed to destroy small wandering targets such as travelling convoys, supply ships, a squadron of fighters, etc. Railgun ships tend to have a small crew in comparison to other ships its size. **Interstellar missile - The larger railguns can fire rounds equipped with a Higgsium Drive. That is, these rounds travel faster than light, are self-guided, and are capable of flying between systems and even through Stone Rings. Thus, a ship can fire a missile from one side of the galaxy, and it will hit a target on the other. The missiles rely on the Universal Positioning System to guide themselves, and have a very high rate of success, making them deadly weapons, but they do not work in unexplored regions of space where the UPS does not cover. These missiles were commonly used during the Perseus War, and are in large part responsible for Ucharpli's nuclear winter thousands of years before the formation of the Galactic Senate. Other Space weapons *Proximity Mines - A series of floating spheres that explode with shrapnel when a ship gets too close. It is also electromagnetic and can follow nearby ships. *Impact weapon - A bolt of energy designed to fry the shields on a ship. *Particle beam - A beam of red-hot energy used to melt the hull of a ship. These are the most commonly used. *Shock laser - A jolt of electrical energy that is capable of shutting off parts of the enemy ship should it hit in the right area. *Gravity blast - A heavy weapon designed to cause the enemy ship to implode on itself. Effective against unshielded ships. *Heat wave - A weapon most useful against unshielded starships. The Heat wave is designed to increase the energy output of the fusion cores resulting in it overheating. *Shield - Much like forcefields on the ground, starship shields are particle fields that reduce the impact speed of kinetic weapons. *Antimatter missile - A missile containing antimatter suspended in the air to store it safely. Upon impact, these fields will break apart, releasing the antimatter. Large ships will often carry these. Mechs and Artificial Intelligence The Vaikan discovered mech suits and robots before they discovered automobiles. Thus, much of their culture revolves around their use. Over the course of 7,000 years, the AI had improved vastly to where the mech could "think" on its own. Fighter Mechs consist of the bulk of Vaikan military while other Mechs carry out mining operations. Most military mechs only have enough intelligence to understand voice commands from the Vaikan. Some sapient mechs are known to exist such as SANARI, but their trade is banned by the Galactic Senate. Mechs are powered by cube-like batteries which send electrical signals throughout their interior. Most mechs use similar weapons as their Vaikan counterparts. Higgsium Drive The Vaikan never actually did discover the Higgsium Drive themselves. They looted it from the ruins of a KMF colony. Prior to this, they relied mostly on solar sails and antimatter drives to travel in between systems. With the reverse engineering of the Higgsium Drive, they can now travel across the galaxy at a rate of 10 lightyears per day. Warp lanes The warp lane network of the Perseus Arm was originally created by the Drallan Federal Monarchy who in turn modeled it after KMF technology. Powered by fusion, warp lanes are structures placed at one light year apart from another, generating a warp bubble when a ship is nearby, thus, sending the ship to the next warp lane in a chain reaction until they reach the intended destination. This cuts travel time by a significant margin, allowing remarkable speeds of 7,000 lightyears per day. Travel to a system outside of the warp lane network can only be done at a rate no faster than 10 lightyears per day. The successors into the dark ages in between had no idea how the warp lanes worked for centuries until they rediscovered fusion power for themselves. However, during the Perseus War many of these warp lanes were destroyed. After the founding of the Karalian Empire, many large scale renovation projects begun in an effort to not only restore the warp lanes, but to also create new ones. The hub location of the gates of the Heart and Soul Nebula is located in orbit of Voordyrr which is in the Szon system. The gate also links to the Jar system of the Krizael Expanse as well as the Meruu system of the Greenwater Nebula. Starships Vaikan ships sacrifice armor for maneuverability. Their ships tend to be small - the largest is about 400 meters in length. Their engines are able to rotate which virtually allows them to move in almost any direction and evade enemy fire. The junctions where the engines and the hull connect are considered weakpoints, so their shields are primarily focuses around that area. Vaikan ships also have no windows, because they are considered a structural weakness. The bridge is at the center of the ship, while the actual Maj core is several meters below. Planetary colonization Higgsium drives have a tendency to gather heat build up, and they must regularly dump out heat into the magnetosphere of other planets. Vaikan colonies were designed to be built in the direction of the Galactic Core Zone, where the metallicity of stars increases, and therefore more planets were present. With the scarcity of stars located between galaxies, intergalactic travel still remains out of reach from the mainstream public. Vaikan rarely ever terraform simply because of the amount of time it takes. Terraformation was an early attempt to increase colonization efforts while they were spreading themselves across the Heart and Soul Nebulas, but as they got closer to the Galactic Core, it became impractical because radiation from the core proved too much for nearby planets to be habitable. Therefore, the majority of Vaikan colonies are either orbital space stations around gas giants or large terrestrial planets or isolated areas on an uninhabitable planet with an artificial atmosphere, such as Krar. Most planet colonies are equipped with enormous anti-orbital guns which use the ground as a heat sink. This is to defend themselves from orbital bombardments. Vehicles Military vehicles Vehicles Karalians use ground vehicles to accompany their mech and organic units. Nearly all ground vehicles are amphibious capable of travelling across both the ocean and the land done through generating magnetic fields that allow them to levitate. *Rover - A variety of tank designed for a variety terrain that would be otherwise unsuitable for levitating vehicles. *Tortoise - A large, blue tank that hovers slightly above ground. It has a twin set of large cannons and a small turret at the back. *Forest Slicer - A small, fast vehicle equipped with a set of moving jaw-like blades at the front. It is very useful for travelling through dense forests. *Ice Mole - Named after the ice moles on Amaselva, this vehicle is a version of the Tortoise intended to dig underground and surprise enemies by unleashing an entire squadron. It is often used to break into fortified structures poorly defended on the inside. *Cargo Truck - A hovering vehicle that can deliver both supplies and soldiers. *Sauropod - A small multi-man vehicle equipped with a few turrets. *Airfighter - A one-man aircraft designed specifically to fly in atmospheres. As a result, it is much more maneuverable than its starfighter counterpart. *Airship - A heavy flying vehicle that can travel on land, sea and the sky. *Patrol boat *Bowler - A sphere-shaped tank that rolls around with antiaircraft guns on its side. Inside the sphere, a telekinetic field keeps the area still much like the inside of a starship, preventing motion sickness. The sheer force of the ball allows it to roll through enemy armies like a bowling ball smashing through pins. *Submarine - A stealth unit used to take enemy ships by surprise by attacking from below. **Freezer - A type of submarine that specializes in freezing the ocean's surface to build walls of thick ice to trap enemy vehicles to make them more vulnerable to air attacks. The submarine is also capable of causing spikes of ice to jut out which can pierce the hull of an unsheilded ship. **Sinker - A deadly type of submarine that fires telekinetic energy at ships above to increase their mass, which can effectively sink ships and even damage aircraft. *Vehicle carrier - An amphibious vehicle that carries vehicles great distances. Tachyon accelerator Tachyon accelerators (more commonly known as comm buoys) are large satellite-like structures which usually orbit high above a planet or moon. These towers produce tachyons from deuterium, then concentrate them into a beam that can be aimed at a certain destination point allowing near-instantaneous FTL communication. The sending of such messages is only possible if the destination is already known. Every Vaikan colony has at least one tachyon accelerator as part of a large communications network that covers roughly half of the Perseus Arm. Universal Translator A Vaikan translator is used in conjunction with a holographic screen. If a language is not recognized in the central database, the translator will attempt to decipher it after the speakers says a few words. Once the language is deciphered enough to form something comprehensible, the speaker's words appear in their preferred language on the holographic screen after, thus giving the Vaikan subtitles to read. Some other versions of the translator which are still being developed actually alter the sound waves emitted from the speaker's mouth. However, some find it awkward how lip movements do not match, and often times the new translated voice will sound bizarre and unfitting to the speaker. The translated voice could turn out to be very high-pitched and squeaky. However, the subtitle translators are much preferred to avoid any awkward scenarios. The Universal Translator is not entirely perfect and does not account for varying dialects or unique expressions. Its deciphering capabilities are only practical for conversing with newly discovered alien species until their language can be correctly inputted and installed onto the translation device. Translation devices are necessary when conversing with species that cannot speak other languages due to differences in mouth structure. While most species among the Galactic Senate tend to use the common trade language Galacticspeak, translators are still used to communicate with species such as the Delsons. Cloning Cloning and genetic modification has proven necessary with interstellar colonization. As the majority of Vaikan colonies are located in sterile environments, several vaccinations and modifications were crucial to have: vaccinations against alien diseases, prevention of bone mass loss, and resistance to stellar radiation. Overtime, these genetic modifications have increased the maximum Vaikan lifespan at least several decades. Eugenics With the integration of robots into their society, many Vaikan cultures underwent eugenics, only allowing those who have desirable genes to breed, while having robots fill in for roles that require little academic training. Category:Technology lists Category:Articles by User:Krayfish